A couple, whose honeymoon was tragically cut short when their child was born prematurely and passed away, have buried their child in clothes made from his mother’s wedding dress.
Jamie and Vicky Waite, from Leeds, Yorkshire, were celebrating their marriage with their three-year-old son and friends in Menorca when Vicky, who was 23 weeks pregnant, was rushed to hospital.
Nathan John was just an hour old when he died at the hospital on the island.
A couple, whose honeymoon was tragically cut short when their child was born prematurely and passed away, have buried their child in clothes made from his mother’s wedding dress. Jamie and Vicky Waite, from Leeds, Yorkshire, were celebrating their marriage with their three-year-old son and friends in Menorca when Vicky, who was 23 weeks pregnant, was rushed to hospital
His heartbroken parents have only hand and footprints as a record of his short life.
The couple, who married in March, were told by Spanish doctors that as Vicky’s pregnancy had not reached 24 weeks, and because Nathan lived for less than 24 hours, no birth or death certificates would be issued.
The registry office in Leeds was unable to help as Nathan was born in Menorca.
Desperate to honour Nathan’s memory, Vicky and Jamie are now saving to buy him a headstone for his burial plot.
Family and friends have rallied round to help raise part of the £4,000 needed to buy the memorial stone.
Vicky said: ‘We honeymooned as a family in Cala’n Forcat, Menorca. We flew out on Friday May 19 – it was just a week’s break, we went with a family we are very close to.
‘Four days into the holiday I woke up to bleeding and I felt very uncomfortable – this was at 9am. We called the doctor out from reception and he rushed me into hospital and said my baby was coming now and there was no time to fly me out to mainland Majorca.
‘They wheeled me into a room and said they said they would give me something to help me relax – this was at 12.05pm.
Nathan John was just an hour old when he died at the hospital on the island. His heartbroken parents have only hand and footprints as a record of his short life
‘The next thing I know it was 1.05pm and I was just coming round – they had put me to sleep.
‘I was told my baby boy had been born and was still alive but would not live for long. My husband wasn’t with me at this point, he wasn’t allowed in the room.’
‘Ten minutes later, the doctor came back and said my little boy had died, and asked if I wanted to see him for a minute.
‘My husband came back in the room at this point and Nathan John was passed to me, wrapped in tissue. We cried as we held him; my head was all over the place and I didn’t really know was happening.
‘It was all very quick and I was still high as a kite from the drugs they gave me.
‘Before we could even think about photos or anything they came back and took him away from us.’
The couple, who married in March, were told by Spanish doctors that as Vicky’s pregnancy had not reached 24 weeks, and because Nathan lived for less than 24 hours, no birth or death certificates would be issued
Jamie and Vicky’s son Jamie Luke, three, was being looked after by friends that had travelled with the honeymooners, and Vicky was told she would be kept at the hospital overnight.
At around 6pm, just six hours after Nathan’s premature birth, Jamie had to leave to care for their son and Vicky was left alone in hospital.
‘We just cried for hours and had to tell our family back home,’ Vicky said.
‘I asked if I could see Nathan again and they wouldn’t let me – they said he had been moved to the mortuary already.
‘It was all really hard to understand with the language barrier, the translation wasn’t very good. I was left for the night then discharged the next morning.’
Vicky and Jamie, of Cottingley, returned to Leeds on May 26 – Nathan’s body was flown home on June 2.
They went to the registry office in Leeds to try and secure birth/death certificates, but were told they could not be issued as Nathan was born abroad.
The grieving couple were allowed to arrange a burial for their son at Cottingley Crematorium in June – held just three days before their eldest son, Jamie Luke’s third birthday.
Vicky was told aged 23 she would not be able to have children naturally and had suffered four miscarriages before falling pregnant with her eldest son, Jamie Luke, aged 33.
Vicky said: ‘It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do – carrying his tiny coffin into the crematorium was heartbreaking.
‘The funeral directors were great and gave us Nathan’s hand and footprint as a keepsake – it’s the only thing we have.
The registry office in Leeds was unable to help as Nathan was born in Menorca. Desperate to honour Nathan’s memory, Vicky and Jamie are now saving to buy him a headstone for his burial plot
‘I also donated my wedding dress and had it made into clothing for Nathan to be buried in.’
The couple couldn’t afford a headstone. Nathan’s burial plot is currently marked with a simple wooden cross with a plaque.
Jamie and Vicky are now saving for a permanent headstone to remember their little boy.
Vicky said: ‘I haven’t been able to do anything for my baby boy – he is not recognised in this world as existing.
‘I have to do everything I can and the only thing I can give him is a plot where he rests and headstone to symbolise his importance to us.’
The couple’s friends Sarah Bowker and Ben Pashley, of Manchester, wanted to help Vicky and Jamie secure the headstone for Nathan, and have started a fundraising campaign for £1,000 of the £4,000 total costs.
On the Gofundme page, they wrote: ‘I know it is coming up to Christmas, but if you can share anything to help them achieve this it would make us so happy.
‘The love in their home is warm and kind. They would be so grateful to you all.’
Jamie, a data cabling engineer, and Vicky, a full-time mum, want to have the headstone in place as soon as possible, but said £4,000 was a lot of money to save.
They hope to fund the rest of the money needed for the headstone with the help of the generous donations made to Sarah and Ben’s campaign. So far the fundraising page has £275 of its £1,000 goal.